Executive Director Exits Identity Inc. Board Issues Community Letter

In a letter addressed to “Our Community,” the Identity Board of Directors wished Laura Carpenter well in their future endeavors and thanked them for their efforts during a “challenging year.” You can read the Board of Directors Community Letter which was emailed and posted to the organization's Facebook page, below.

To Our Community:

We take your feedback seriously.

In May, Identity held a listening session to better understand the impact of white supremacy on our organizational structure and in turn the BIPOC LGBTQIA2S community in Alaska. In order to respect privacy and create a space for folks to share personal and difficult stories, we did not record the event. The fact that so many of you showed up, and spoke out, reminded us that identity has an enormous responsibility. Accountability and repair are possible when the community cares so much.

We created action items for the Board of Directors to implement post-community listening sessions. Some of them have already happened, we have publicized the monthly board meetings and had community members attend our sessions for better transparency about our process. Others are underway, like the creation of an advisory board on equity, community engagement sessions to get input on program development and strategic planning, and an internal assessment of policies and procedures that are at the root of how decisions are made at Identity.

We realize that there is significant work still to be done. This work will take time, and we appreciate folks who have reached out to ask what we are doing and push us to move faster. This fall Identity will begin a three-month strategic planning process that will guide the work of the community center and health clinic for the next few years. Community input is necessary for us to better serve the people who need it most. We will start sharing more about this process at the end of August.

We also want to thank Laura Carpenter, for their efforts during a challenging year and wish them the best in future endeavors. We assure our community, our stakeholders, partners, and supporters that our work continues until we begin the search for a successor.

The Board of Directors is working diligently to support staff and programs. With your guidance, we want to lay the foundation for the next forty years of Identity in Alaska.

Thank you for your support in all its forms.

Gratefully,

Identity's Board of Directors

Amy Hillenbrand, Treasurer
Chris Daniel, Secretary
Danae Wilson
JJ Harrier

Kathleen Chivers-Carter
Kelly Hale
Kendra Arciniega
Melanie Leydon

Owen Hutchinson, Co-Chair
Shelby Wilson, Co-Chair
Will Kuusiq Bean